College girls get lessons in self-defence from cops

With the rapid increase in crimes against young women in the city, a Navi Mumbai college took the initiative and called on the police to conduct a self-defence session for its female students

With the safety and well being of their female students in mind,a Navi Mumbai college recently got the local police to conduct a workshop on self-defence for their students.

Take that: Students learn various self-defence techniques at the session to help them during a crisis

Sarada Kurup College of Science and Commerce, Nerul, approached the APMC police station with the idea for the session. Senior Inspector Maya More and her team conducted the session, which was attended by around 200 students from different streams of the degree courses.

Attention please: Senior inspector Maya More from the APMC police station interacts with students at the session

The two-and-a-half hour programme concentrated on various self-defence techniques and safety measures, and instructors from Shilwant Taekwondo Academy, Vashi were called in to teach these techniques.

Apart from self-defence, there were also sessions by gynaecologists, Dr Bharti More and Dr Mini N, who spoke about various health and hygiene issues.

Sradha Sable, a teacher at the college said, “These classes have helped the students extensively, and will surely be of help in case of untoward incidents.” Students also thoroughly appreciated the effort. “This is the first time such a session was conducted for us. Teaching us how to defend ourselves in case of any unfortunate event is really a good thing. We have definitelylearnt a lot from this session,” said Mamta Kumar, a third year BMS student.

There was also a session by a legal advisor, who educated the girls on what legal action they could take in case someone stalked them or physically harassed them. Students were also made aware of the various amendments made by the government to the laws, so that they would be aware of the appropriate steps to be taken.

Seema Mahar, a third year BMS student, said, “It was enlightening for us to know of the various legal solutions we can take. We never knew what to do earlier. Students now know what steps to take, and they can register a complaint without hesitating.” At the end of the session, More spoke to the students, sharing her experiences with them. She encouraged them to be brave and alert in order to protect themselves. The college plans to have another session, the next semester.